ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The conclusion of the 2025 regular season draws closer this Friday as the Navy women's soccer team hosts its final regular season home with an important Patriot League tilt versus Lafayette. Currently sitting in fifth place, one point out fourth and a home quarterfinal game, the Mids (9-5-3, 2-2-3 PL) aim to extinguish the playoff hopes of the Leopards (3-7-6, 1-3-3 PL), while moving up the league table and potentially seal a playoff berth by the end of the weekend. In advance of Friday's 5 p.m. game, Navy will honor and celebrate its seven-person Class of 2026 with a Senior Day ceremony.

Mimi Abusham, Talley Applewhite, Marlee Heaven, Emma Romano, Isabella Romano, Mori Sokoloff and team captain Jordan Townsend will all be recognized starting at approximately 4:45 p.m. prior to the contest.

The Navy-Lafayette game this Friday will have live stats provided online, as well as an accompanying ESPN+ broadcast. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Navy vs. Lafayette
Friday will be the 34th meeting (26-4-3) between the two schools in a series that began in Navy's first year of varsity existence in 1993 ... In that Sept. 26, 1993 matchup, Lafayette took the contest by a 7-1 decision ... Over the next 17 meetings between the Mids and Leopards, Navy went 17-0, including a postseason victory in 2001 ... After tying in 2010 and losing in the regular season in 2011, Navy then rattled off four straight wins (2011-PL Semis, 2012, 2013 and 2014) before Lafayette posted consecutive 1-0 shutout victories in 2015 and 2016; since then the Mids are 5-0-2 ... All-time, Navy has outscored Lafayette, 73-22 and hold an 13-1-2 mark in games played in Annapolis.

Last Five Matchups
In the last five meetings dating back to 2019, the Mids lead 3-0-2 with a 6-2 edge in scoring 
    Oct. 30, 2024 (A): Navy 0 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 25, 2023 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 26, 2022 (A): Navy 1 - Lafayette 0
    Oct. 27, 2021 (H): Navy 3 - Lafayette 1
    Oct. 2, 2019 (H): Navy 1 - Lafayette 1

Most Recent Navy-Lafayette Matchup: October 30, 2024 in Easton
Navy completed its 2024 regular season on Wednesday night with a road showdown at Lafayette. Fighting for a spot in the upcoming league postseason tournament, the Mids (9-9-2, 3-4-2 PL) and Leopards (5-6-4, 2-3-4 PL) battled for 90 minutes and left it all out on the pitch at Oaks Stadium, though neither team was able to break through onto the scoreboard as the game went final with a 0-0 draw.

After the conclusion of all of Wednesday night's action across the conference, Navy's tie allowed them to garner the six-seed in the 2024 Patriot League Tournament, while Lafayette was one spot and one point shy of extending its season as the Leopards finished the campaign in seventh place.

Natasha Stramrood led Navy's effort on Wednesday night as the freshman goalkeeper made five saves. The Mids' defense was also bolstered by three of its starting backs playing all 90 minutes: Jordan Townsend, Emma Romano and Tatum Kelly. Additionally, freshman wing back Kayana Adlam fought her way back onto the pitch to play 70 minutes after leaving in the first minute to be checked out for an injury.

The action was slow to form in the offense end of the field for both teams, though Lafayette was able to mount the first shot of the game in the third minute and later the first shot on goal in the 12th minute when Heather Plowright tested Stramrood to the near post. Twenty minutes in, Navy had yet to record a shot, though it had a pair of corner kick opportunities and three more free kick restarts in the attacking third. The visitors' third corner kick chance resulted in a shot on goal as Amanda Graziano struck an in-swinging attempt that forced the Leopards' goalkeeper Catherine Apker into action in the 22nd minute.

After three Lafayette shots missed off target over the next 15 minutes, the final seven minutes of the half saw both teams earn looks at the goal with Navy's Isabella Romano striking a shot on frame in the 38th minute before Sofia Ruggiero hit a low curling shot towards the corner of the net that saw Stramrood dive low to her right in the 43rd minute.

Coming out of the locker room knotted at 0-0, the Leopards aimed to break the tie first as April McDonald launched a high bending shot towards the back post only to have Stramrood leap up and snag it.

Navy controlled the majority of the high-percentage looks over the next 20 minutes as Alexa Riddle asserted herself all over the pitch. In the 52nd minute, she forced a turnover near midfield and immediately played Graziano into space. After a few dribbles, Graziano ripped a lengthy shot that sailed just over the crossbar. A little over seven minutes later, Riddle juked a defender near the top of the 18 and took a shot that had eyes for the lower near corner, though Apker denied it for her third save of the game.

The Mids' loudest scoring chance came in the 66th minute when Hannah Mulholland dribbled towards the box and unleashed a howitzer that whizzed past Apker, but directly into the crossbar to keep it a 0-0 game.

That would be Navy's final shot of the game as their focus moved squarely to its defense and keeping Lafayette off the scoreboard late. The Mids' backline kept a tight shape and only allowed three shots over the last 15 minutes of regulation. After their initial shot by Gretchen Waechter missed wide left, the Leopards tested Stramrood twice during this span, though the freshman goalkeeper easily handled McDonald's shot in the 77th minute before she showcased her athleticism in the 83rd minute with a springy dive to her right to snag a McDonald header attempt.

For the game, Lafayette out-shot Navy 13-6 with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal. The host team also held an edge in corner kicks, 7-5 on Wednesday night.

Comparing the Teams

2025 Stats	Navy	Lafayette
Record / League	9-5-3 / 2-2-3 PL	3-7-6 / 1-3-3 PL
Home / Away / Neutral	6-1-1 / 3-4-1 / 0-0-1	3-3-3 / 0-4-3
Goals/Gm	1.94	0.88
Assists/Gm	1.71	0.75
Shots/Gm	14.6	9.6
Goals Against Average	0.88	1.75
GK Saves/Gm	4.06	4.88
Common Non-Conference Opponent(s):	n/a	n/a

Individual Leaders

	Navy	Lafayette
Goals	Heaven, 9	Zaffanella, 5
Assists	Cosenza, 5	Three Players, 2
Points	Heaven, 21	Zaffanella, 11
Shots	Heaven, 28	Santelli, 41
GK Saves	Stramrood, 59	Apker, 70

Last Time Out: Wednesday, October 19 at Bucknell in Lewisburg
In a scenario that's played out twice in the previous four games coming into its road matchup with Bucknell on Sunday, the Navy women's soccer team took a lead into the final six minutes of the game versus a Patriot League foe, but came away with only a hard fought point to show in its battle for a conference tournament berth as the hosts drew even in the 86th minute to grab a 1-1 result. The visiting Mids (9-5-3, 2-2-3 PL) took the 1-0 lead over the Bison (3-7-6, 1-2-4 PL) in the ninth minute on a Helen Bonner goal before conceding the late equalizer at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.

Both teams were active on the attack early as Bucknell's Henna Andican tested Navy's goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood in the seventh minute before the Mids flipped the field less than two minutes later and found its way onto the scoreboard. Following a corner kick into the center of the box, Lucy Gaines swung at the bounding ball and lofted a shot over the Bison's goalkeeper, but it didn't have enough pace to break the goal line as Bucknell defender headed the ball away back into the field of play. With another look at the goal, Bonner ran up towards the floating ball and didn't miss with a powerfully struck side volley into the net at 8:21.

Ahead 1-0, the Mids nearly doubled its lead in the 27th minute when Mimi Abusham received a pass in the box and posted up her defender before spinning into space and taking a shot on goal that was deflected late and harmlessly bounced to Reese Dolan, Bucknell's goalkeeper.

Coming out of the locker room up 1-0, the back-and-forth action continued as the teams combined for five total shots over the initial 15 minutes of the second half with three for Navy and two via Bucknell. Jessica Black tallied the Mids' shot on goal during this span, while Andican was back at it for the Bison with her third look at Stramrood of the game, an easily-handled long-range shot to the goalkeeper's chest.

Unwilling to sit on a tightly-contested 1-0 lead, Navy kept hunting for an insurance goal as Mackenzie Morrow and Hannah Mulholland challenged Dolan with shots on goal in the 62nd and 67th minutes, respectively. Mulholland's look was especially threatening as she curled a shot off the right wing towards the far upper-90 and forced Dolan to out-leap Black, who crashed in through the box.

Withstanding all of Navy's threats, Bucknell had one final glimmer of hope in the 86th minute when a series of passes found Andican in space in the attacking third. Taking her sixth shot of the day, Andican didn't miss and slotted a shot into the far corner of the net to even the score at 85:54.

With the seconds ticking down, Bonner had eyes on her second goal of the game, this one of the game-winning variety. In the 89th minute she ripped the Mids' final shot on goal with a low-line drive and forced Dolan to dive late and bat the ball away from the goal line to seal the 1-1 draw.

For the game, Navy out-shot Bucknell, 15-10 with a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. The host Bison had an 8-6 edge in corner kicks.

Stramrood finished with four saves in goal for the Mids, while Dolan was credited with eight stops.